The present invention relates generally to a sheet material product, and more particularly to sheet material dispenser packaging designed to indicate measured amounts of sheet material drawn during dispensing, and the amount remaining therein.
Sheet material such as aluminum foil, paper products, plastic films and the like, are usually packaged in association with a dispenser or holder to yield an integrated sheet material product for both consumer and industrial use. The packaging for such material is typically a container used for storing and protecting the packaged item, and is often used as a dispenser. Packaging for sheet material is known in the art and is quite useful for preventing contamination by dirt, insects, bacteria, mold, moisture, or oxygen, for example. Typically the sheet material is packaged in roll form and dispensed through a slotted opening. A cutting blade is usually provided and mounted on the packaging to facilitate separation of the dispensed portion from the roll in the package. Alternatively, the sheet material may be folded into a stacked form and dispensed in a similar fashion. Some of these products include pre-cut or perforated sheet material for dispensing discrete, fixed sheet amounts.
In many applications including those involved in food service and packaging, the use of sheet material products is quite extensive. Users of such products dispense the sheet material by drawing out the material, and cutting or separating the desired portions from the package. Often, it is preferable for the user to measure the dispensed portion prior to cutting to minimize waste. Some products adapted for measuring length amounts include straight-edged rulers placed in alignment with the dispensed material, mechanical counters, mechanical level indicators, and the like. Such products are often unreliable, tedious and time consuming to use, as well as being complicated and costly to assemble and implement. Such methods also add to the bulk of packaging which undesirably adds extra space requirements. In addition, many of these methods are limited and fail to simultaneously indicate the amount of sheet material remaining in the package. Conversely, means for indicating remaining amounts of sheet material in a package often are not adapted for measuring amounts dispensed.
Accordingly, there is a need for sheet material packaging designed to indicate measured amounts of sheet material drawn during dispensing, and the amount remaining therein. There is a further need for such sheet material packaging that is simple, compact, inexpensive and easy to assemble and implement. It would be desirable to implement sheet material packaging for dispensing a range of sheet materials including, but not limited to metal foils, polymer films including plastic and elastomers, paper sheets, fabric sheets, and the like, for application in a range of uses. It would be further desirable to design sheet material packaging that overcomes the limitations of the prior art methods in a cost effective and simple manner.
The present invention is generally directed to sheet material packaging designed to indicate measured amounts of sheet material drawn during dispensing, and the amount remaining therein. In one aspect of the present invention, the sheet material product includes a length of sheet material with a series of linear scale indicia applied along a surface thereof, and dispensing means for retaining and dispensing desired lengths of the sheet material. The dispensing means further includes a reference indicator operatively associated with the series of the linear scale indicia on the sheet material for indicating to the user both the dispensed amount of the sheet material before severance, and the amount remaining within the dispensing means. The series of indicia of the present invention may be applied directly or indirectly on the sheet material being dispensed and indicates by its relative position, the length of the sheet material dispensed, and the length of the undispensed sheet material remaining within the packaging.
In one particular aspect of the present invention, there is provided a packaging system for sheet material which comprises:
a length of substantially planar material with a series of linear scale indicia applied along the length thereof; and
dispensing means adapted for retaining and dispensing a desired length of the material, the dispensing means further including a reference indicator in operative association with the series of linear scale indicia to indicate a desired amount of the material to be dispensed, and/or the amount of the material remaining in association with the dispensing means.